Robert Zemeckis' cinematic innovations

CaptionVisual virtuoso

Robert Zuckerman / Paramount Pictures

By Patrick Kevin Day and Jevon Phillips In "Flight," director Robert Zemeckis will help paint a picture of Denzel Washington piloting a large passenger plane to safety amidst dramatic circumstances. The filmmaker has experience in giving an audience a unique look at a situation, often using...

By Patrick Kevin Day and Jevon Phillips In "Flight," director Robert Zemeckis will help paint a picture of Denzel Washington piloting a large passenger plane to safety amidst dramatic circumstances. The filmmaker has experience in giving an audience a unique look at a situation, often using... (Robert Zuckerman / Paramount Pictures)

For the highly anticipated follow-up to his 1985 hit, Zemeckis worked with Industrial Light + Magic to innovate the process of digital image compositing, which allowed him to film a scene with three versions of Michael J. Fox as Marty McFly, Marty McFly Jr. and Marlene McFly all interacting...

For the highly anticipated follow-up to his 1985 hit, Zemeckis worked with Industrial Light + Magic to innovate the process of digital image compositing, which allowed him to film a scene with three versions of Michael J. Fox as Marty McFly, Marty McFly Jr. and Marlene McFly all interacting... (Universal)

The battle between life- (and afterlife-)long enemies Helen Sharp (Goldie Hawn) and Madeline Ashton (Meryl Streep) allowed Zemeckis to push the boundaries of the then-new world of CGI effects. Hawn walked around with a gaping shotgun hole in her middle, while Streep had her neck twisted...

The battle between life- (and afterlife-)long enemies Helen Sharp (Goldie Hawn) and Madeline Ashton (Meryl Streep) allowed Zemeckis to push the boundaries of the then-new world of CGI effects. Hawn walked around with a gaping shotgun hole in her middle, while Streep had her neck twisted... (Deana Newcomb)

Using computer-generated images and computer-composited shots to remove limbs and add characters into historical footage, the film put forth one of the more innovative uses of the technology in cinema. "Gump" won an Academy Award for visual effects, among many other awards, including best...

Using computer-generated images and computer-composited shots to remove limbs and add characters into historical footage, the film put forth one of the more innovative uses of the technology in cinema. "Gump" won an Academy Award for visual effects, among many other awards, including best... (Universal Pictures)

For the HBO shocker's sixth season finale, Zemeckis, one of the series' executive producers, came back to direct the episode "You, Murderer," which starred, of all people, Humphrey Bogart. The episode, which was shot entirely from a first-person perspective, integrated the long-deceased Bogart...

For the HBO shocker's sixth season finale, Zemeckis, one of the series' executive producers, came back to direct the episode "You, Murderer," which starred, of all people, Humphrey Bogart. The episode, which was shot entirely from a first-person perspective, integrated the long-deceased Bogart... (Universal Studios)